Donkey Kong Jr. (game)

This article is about the arcade game. For the Game & Watch game of the same name, see Donkey Kong Jr. (Game & Watch).

Donkey Kong Jr.
Art of the arcade cabinet. For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer	Nintendo Research & Development 1 Iwasaki Engineering Nintendo Research & Development 2 (Famicom/NES port) Coleco (ColecoVision and Coleco Adam ports) Woodside Design Associates (Atari 2600 port) Roklan (Intellivision port) Atari, Inc. (Atari 8-bit computer port) ITDC (Atari 7800 port) HAMSTER (Arcade Archives)
Publisher	Nintendo Coleco (ColecoVision, Atari 2600, Intellivision, and Coleco Adam ports) Atari, Inc. (Atari 8-bit computer port) Atari Corporation (Atari 7800 port) HAMSTER (Arcade Archives)
Release date	Arcade: August 2, 1982 September 1982 ColecoVision: February 1983 1983[?] Famicom/NES: July 15, 1983 June 1986[?] June 15, 1987 Atari 2600: September 1983 1983[?] 1983[?] Intellivision: October 1983 1983[?] Atari 8-bit computers: March 1984 1985[?] Coleco Adam: April 1984 Family Computer Disk System: July 19, 1988 Atari 7800: November 1988[?] 1989 e-Reader: September 16, 2002 October, 2002 Virtual Console (Wii): December 2, 2006[?] December 4, 2006[?] December 22, 2006[?] Virtual Console (3DS) (Ambassador Program Release): August 31, 2011[?] September 1, 2011[?] September 1, 2011[?] September 1, 2011[?] Virtual Console (3DS) (Full Release): April 18, 2012[?] June 14, 2012[?] August 23, 2012[?] August 23, 2012[?] April 6, 2016 Virtual Console (Wii U): April 26, 2013[?] April 27, 2013[?] April 28, 2013[?] July 15, 2013[?] NES Classic Edition: November 10, 2016[?] November 11, 2016[?] November 11, 2016[?] Nintendo Switch (Arcade Archives): December 21, 2018[?] December 21, 2018[?] December 21, 2018[?] December 21, 2018[?] Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online: May 15, 2019 May 15, 2019 May 15, 2019 May 15, 2019 May 15, 2019[?] May 15, 2019[?]
Language(s)	English (United States)
Genre	Retro/Platform
Rating(s)	ESRB: - Everyone PEGI: - Three years and older CERO: - All ages ACB: - General USK: - All ages ClassInd: - General audience GRAC: - All ages
Mode(s)	Up to 2 players, alternating turns
Format	Arcade: Built-in Famicom: Cartridge NES: Game Pak FDS: Disk Card Wii: Digital download Wii U: Digital download Nintendo Switch: Digital download Game Boy Advance: e-Reader card Nintendo 3DS: Digital download NES Classic Edition: Built-in
Cabinet	Upright and cocktail
Monitor	Raster, standard resolution
Input	Arcade: Joystick Famicom: Famicom Controller NES: NES Controller Wii: Wii Remote (horizontal) Classic Controller Nintendo GameCube Controller Wii U: Wii U GamePad Wii Remote (horizontal) Classic Controller Wii U Pro Controller Nintendo Switch: Joy-Con Joy-Con (horizontal) Nintendo Switch Pro Controller Famicom Controller NES Controller Super NES Controller Nintendo 3DS: Gamepad NES Classic Edition: NES Classic Controller Classic Controller
Serial code(s)	Famicom: HVC-JR FDS: FMC-JRD

Donkey Kong Jr., also spelled Donkey Kong Junior in early arcade releases and home ports, is an arcade game starring Donkey Kong Jr. It is the direct sequel to Donkey Kong, and it and the similar Donkey Kong II, as well as Donkey Kong Circus, are the only games in the Super Mario franchise where Mario is the antagonist. Though Donkey Kong Jr. did not have as many sales or the same amount of a following as the original Donkey Kong did, it did well enough to warrant a second sequel, Donkey Kong 3.

Story

After the events of Donkey Kong, Mario has captured Donkey Kong as revenge for kidnapping his lady friend and Donkey Kong Jr. has to save him. Donkey Kong Jr. travels through four stages from the jungle to the big city to rescue his father, climbing vines, avoiding enemies and jumping on platforms along the way. However, every time Donkey Kong Jr. gets close to freeing his father, Mario just pushes him further away.

In the arcade version, between the second and third stages, Mario carries Donkey Kong away in a yellow helicopter, with Jr. following close behind with a parasol. Finally in his hideout, Mario appears to be atop a skyscraper similar to 100m from the last game. Donkey Kong Jr. has to put six keys into their keyholes to free his dad and make the platform they are standing on disappear. Donkey Kong and Mario both fall down and Donkey Kong Jr. catches Donkey Kong but Mario just hits the ground. Donkey Kong Jr. carries his dad off-screen as Mario gets up and runs after them, only to be kicked right back out by Donkey Kong, forcing him to flee. In the NES version, this is altered to Mario falling to his apparent death.

Story from the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console manual

Poor Donkey Kong™ has been captured by Mario™ and now finds himself locked up in a cage! It's up to Donkey Kong's son, Junior, to rescue him by snatching the keys to the cage away from Mario. Unfortunately for Junior, Mario won't give up those keys easily, and dangerous snapjaws, nitpickers, and sparks will attack him along the way. Will Junior be able to help his father...? That all depends on you!

Gameplay

As a direct sequel, Donkey Kong Jr. retains many elements from Donkey Kong, although the two games are significantly different. While the original installment took place in a construction setting, Donkey Kong Jr. takes place in a jungle-like setting, from which Donkey Kong Jr. can climb up vines, drop fruit, or jump from place to place.

In order to free his father, Donkey Kong Junior must collect the key being kept at the end of each level, eventually using those keys to free his father in the end. All the while, however, Mario will sit near the Key as well as Donkey Kong's cage, summoning waves of monsters after Donkey Kong Junior from his position. After Donkey Kong Jr. gains a key, Mario will take Donkey Kong to the next location.

Levels

In the Japanese arcade version, the stages follow each other in each other in the same order for every loop.

• Vine Scene
• Jump Board Scene (not found in the Atari 2600 port)
• Mario's Hideout (not found in the ColecoVision and Intellivision ports)
• Chain Scene

In the international arcade version, the middle stages are only revealed during the second and third loop with the fourth loop onward matching the Japanese version. The Atari 8-bit computers, ColecoVision, Coleco Adam, and Intellivision ports follow this progression. The Atari 2600 port put Mario's Hideout after the Chain Scene for every loop.

Kill screen on Level 22

Like its predecessor, this game also has a kill screen on level 22 (screen 89 on Japanese versions and screen 82 on international versions) based on the same integer overflow glitch.

On the Nintendo Entertainment System and Family Computer ports, the kill screen is likewise encountered on level 133 (screen 529) instead, but has rather different effects compared to the arcade version. The two levels that precede the kill screen, levels 131 and 132 (screens 521-528), overflows the time limit so much that the "low time" sound continuously plays, although the player has a much larger amount of time to clear the stages. On level 133 itself, the game crashes.

Characters

Character	Name	Debut	Information
	Donkey Kong Jr.	Vine Scene	The son of Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior is the titular protagonist of Donkey Kong Jr., who has the ability to climb up vines.
	Donkey Kong	Vine Scene	Donkey Kong Jr.'s father, held by Mario at the end of every level.
	Mario	Vine Scene	The main antagonist, Mario appears in every level at the end of each stage, throwing obstacles at Donkey Kong Jr. or guarding Donkey Kong. In the intro of the arcade version, a second Mario appears to help carry Donkey Kong away.

Enemies

Enemy	Name	Debut	Information
	Snapjaw	Vine Scene	Crocodile-like enemies that move after Donkey Kong Junior. Red ones will stay in one particular area, while the blue ones, which are summoned by Mario, will move aimlessly until they reach a vine, where they will continuously move down until they fall off.
	Nitpicker	Jump Board Scene	Vulture-like birds that fly down once in an attempt to ram into Donkey Kong Junior. Some may also drop eggs at random intervals.
	Spark	Mario's Hideout	Electrical balls of energy that travel around a set platform. Blue ones, summoned by Mario, will constantly move downwards.
	Bird	Chain Scene	Raven-like Nitpickers that fly down the screen in a zigzag-like pattern in an attempt to ram into Donkey Kong Junior.

Items

Image	Name	Description
	Fruit	Fruit can be dropped onto enemies directly below Donkey Kong Jr., otherwise gaining a point bonus if no enemy is hit.
	Key	Keys are guarded by Mario at the end of each stage. It is mandatory for Donkey Kong Junior to grab these items in order to free his father.

Re-releases

• The international arcade version was re-released in North America by Namco in 2004 as part of compilation arcade cabinet Donkey Kong/Donkey Kong Junior/Mario Bros.
• On December 21, 2018, both the Japanese and international arcade versions were re-released for the first time on a home console as part of HAMSTER Corporation's Arcade Archives brand on the Nintendo Switch's eShop.

Ports

Donkey Kong Jr. was also ported to various game consoles and home computers. Like Donkey Kong, Nintendo awarded home console licensing to Coleco while giving Atari, Inc. the rights to publish home computer ports.

By Coleco

Coleco's first port was for their ColecoVision, which was released half a year before their ports for the competing Atari 2600 and Intellivision systems. They released one more port for their Coleco Adam in 1984.

By Atari

Atari, Inc. released a port only for their Atari 8-bit computers, but ports were also planned for the Apple II, MS-DOS, Commodore 64, Commodore VIC-20, ZX Spectrum, and BBC Micro under their Atarisoft brand before they were canceled. So far, only the BBC Micro version has leaked online. Atari Corporation later published a port for their Atari 7800 console after Coleco had pulled out of the video game market.

By Nintendo

Donkey Kong Jr. was released on the Family Computer as a launch title and on the Nintendo Entertainment System as part of the Arcade Classics Series, along with Donkey Kong Classics and Donkey Kong Jr. + Jr. Sansū Lesson but the latter lacks the Jump Board Scene and Mario's Hideout. The NES port has been re-released many times starting with the FDS in 1988. In 2002, the NES version was re-released under the title Donkey Kong Jr.-e for the e-Reader as part of Series One, but this lacks two-player support. The NES version is also available as a Virtual Console title for the Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and Wii U, with the Nintendo 3DS version also being a part of the 3DS Ambassador Program. The NES version is also a part of the group of games in the NES Classic Edition system. This version was again made available on the Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online service on May 15th, 2019. This version also appears as a minigame in Animal Crossing.

Cheat mode

In the Atari 800 version, holding the Shift key while typing "BOOGA" activates a cheat mode where the player can do the following:

• Press K to become invincible.
• Press S to skip the current level.

Staff

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Jr. staff

Produced by

• Gunpei Yokoi

Original Music by

• Yukio Kaneoka

Programming by

• H. Hoshino
• Shigeru Miyamoto
• Yoshio Sakamoto (Logo graphic)
• Kenji Nishizawa

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of Donkey Kong Jr. pre-release and unused content

The arcade version includes an unused lightbulb object as well as several graphical leftovers from the original Donkey Kong. In addition, the Coleco Adam port is notable for originally featuring an unlockable stage, but it was cut at Nintendo's request.

Reception

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Wii	Damien McFerran, Nintendo Life	4/10	"After all these years, Donkey Kong Jr.'s levels can still be a slight challenge and hold replayability, and hardcore fans will no doubt argue that it's all about setting as high a score as possible, but it's clear that this is a game more suited for those who enjoyed it at the time of its original release in the arcades. The gameplay is far too basic to recommend this wholeheartedly when there are so many better alternatives on the Virtual Console; after watching King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters you might be inspired to give this a whirl, but it won't keep you entertained for very long."
NES	Lucas M. Thomas, IGN	5/10	"The son of Kong arrives here in a complete conversion of his arcade debut, but this game's too short of an experience to recommend (never mind that it's already been made available through Animal Crossing and as the packed-in "launch title" for the Game Boy Advance e-Reader just a few years ago.) It's nice to see Junior, but not enough to warrant a purchase on his own."
Wii	Alex Navarro, GameSpot	4.9/10	"It was a very fun game for its time, but it hasn't held up very well over the years. The only multiplayer is a two-player, trade-off mode, and as fun as some of the levels can be, with only four to play through, you're over and done with the game before you know it. Apart from DK Jr.'s cute character sprite, the graphics are rather archaic, and the audio isn't all that enjoyable, despite a decently catchy soundtrack. The short length and crusty graphics and sound are to be expected from a perfect port of a game from 1986, but for the $5 that's being charged for it, it's tough to recommend to anyone that didn't count Donkey Kong Jr. among their most favorite of NES games. If you're on a nostalgia hunt, there are far stronger options available on the Virtual Console.'"
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
GameRankings		58.17%

Sales

After the fiasco involving Crazy Kong, Nintendo decided not to license production of the arcade version to other companies and not to sell printed circuit boards but only whole machines. A private showing of the game was held on July 28, 1982 before its rollout the following month.

According to The Ultimate History of Video Games, the arcade version of Donkey Kong Jr. sold 30,000 units in North America, half of its predecessor.

Nintendo eShop description

Original Release Date: June 1986

Based on the popular arcade game, Donkey Kong Jr. is the sequel to the immensely successful Donkey Kong™. Play as Donkey Kong's son, and rescue your dad who has been kidnapped and imprisoned in a cage by Mario™. Use your jumping and climbing abilities to clamber up vines and chains, gather vital fruit and keys, and open the cage to free your father. Make sure you avoid the pesky birds, nasty electric sparks, and creepy chompers! Four different worlds filled with numerous climbing and jumping puzzles await you in this timeless classic.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Donkey Kong Jr. (game).

• 

  Donkey Kong Jr.

• 

  Mario

• 

  Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr.

• 

  Snapjaw

• 

  Nitpicker

Media

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Donkey Kong Jr. media.

Arcade

Vine Scene Theme

File infoMedia:DKJ Arcade Stage 1 Theme.oga 0:25

Vine Scene Clear Theme

File infoMedia:DKJ Arcade Stage 1 Clear Theme.oga 0:07

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

Quotes

In-game

• "Get key from Mario. Save your papa !" — Opening cutscene
• "Keep going to Mario's Hideout. Be careful !" — Mario's Hideout cutscene

Commercial

• "I'm Donkey Kong Jr., and that's my papa. I'm trying to save him, and boy do I need your help!" — Donkey Kong Jr.
• "He's chasing me with snapping jaws, and I could fall!" — Donkey Kong Jr.
• "Getting players everywhere, please help me save my papa!" — Donkey Kong Jr.
• "I've got Donkey Kong, and now I'll get you too, Junior!" — Mario
• "Save your papa? Ha! Save yourself first!" — Mario

References in later games

• Donkey Kong (Game Boy): Donkey Kong Jr., Snapjaws, Birds, and a Spark reappear in this game. Stage 9-4 resembles the Chain Scene. Mario's method of trapping Junior in this game is identical to Donkey Kong Jr.'s method of freeing his father from captivity.
• Donkey Kong Country series: Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong's ability to climb two ropes at a time originates from Donkey Kong Jr. The music for this game is redone and replayed in the Golden Temple level of Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. A different cover of the song plays in the Secret Seclusion world in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. The plotline for Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest was also very similar to Donkey Kong Jr., including Donkey Kong being captured by an old enemy (in his case, Kaptain K. Rool) and requiring that Diddy save him by traveling to the place Donkey Kong was being held captive.
• Super Mario Kart: Donkey Kong Jr. appears as a playable character in this game.
• Mario's Tennis: Donkey Kong Jr. appears as a playable character.
• Mario Tennis: Donkey Kong Jr. appears as an unlockable character.
• Mario Party 2: The music in Look Away is similar to the Vine Scene's music.
• Super Smash Bros. Melee: Donkey Kong Jr. appears as a trophy in the game, and his antagonism towards Mario is referenced in the flavor text for the trophy.
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: DK Mountain and Dino Dino Jungle's theme is an arrangement of the first level theme. This theme returns in Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7, and the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass. Also, Donkey Kong Jr. was found in the game's files. He was ultimately replaced with Diddy Kong in the final game. However, he exclusively appears in the original incarnation of Waluigi Stadium.
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mario is able to climb two ropes to climb them faster in this game. Snapjaws, variation of Nitpickers appear as enemies. Floating fruit can be touched to cause them to drop and defeat enemies.
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl: When Diddy Kong, Fox, and Falco arrive at the barge taking the recently-trophified Donkey Kong to the Ancient Island, Donkey Kong's trophy is shown in chains on the arms and legs, referring to Donkey Kong's captive status in the game, particularly at the Chain Scene.
• NES Remix and Ultimate NES Remix: Several challenges are based off of this game.
• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker: A portion of the Game Start music is arranged in the theme of Retro Ramp-Up
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Donkey Kong Jr. appears in this game as a spirit. Additionally, a medley of songs named "Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong Jr. Medley" is featured.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ドンキーコング ジュニア (arcade)[?] Donkī Kongu Junia	Donkey Kong Junior or Donkey Kong Jr.
	ドンキーコングJR. (Famicom)[?] Donkī Kongu Junia
	ドンキーコングJr. (newer)[?] Donkī Kongu Junia

Trivia

A screenshot of what appears to be two Marios in the intro.

• The first cutscene in the arcade version of the game uses part of "Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565" by Johann Sebastian Bach for its music.
  • The arcade version also uses part of "Le Galop infernal d'Orphée aux Enfers," a song created in 1858 by the French composer Jacques Offenbach, for its second cutscene.
• During the intro of the arcade version of Donkey Kong Jr., there are two Marios seen pushing Donkey Kong's cage away.
• Most versions of Donkey Kong Jr., including the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System version, has the ending theme truncated to one phrase. The four versions to have the full theme are the arcade, Intellivision, Coleco Adam, and Atari 8-bit computer ports.
• Coleco's 1983 TV commercial for their console ports featured a live action rendition of Mario as a cartoonish Vaudeville villain.

External links

• Official Japanese site
• North American NES manual